The authority shelled out £66,147.57 between 2007 and 2017 for motors damaged by road defects, where they required repair.

So far this year just £50 has been shelled out on successful claims.

Motorists have hit out at the state of the area’s roadways following a harsh winter, with many routes, both in the city and in rural Stirling, coming under fire.

In February this year the Observer reported how a large section of the A809 Stockiemuir Road was badly damaged by potholes and several vehicles had been damaged by its uneven surface.

The council say that each individual claim made is given consideration with liability assessed in accordance with appropriate legislation.

A spokesman said: “We maintain more than 1,000 kilometres of roads across Stirling and aim to deal with potholes as timeously as possible once they are brought to our attention.

“We would ask members of the public who spot a pothole to continue to report the matter via our website and our teams will respond.”

The figures for pothole repair compensation spiked in 2011, with £19,423.92 paid out.

Since then the total has dwindled with £4633.84 paid out in 2012, £3141.78 in 2013, £1409.63 in 2014, £1133.28 in 2015, £768 in 2016 and £661.93 last year.

Forth and Endrick Conservative councillor, Alistair Berrill said: “It’s worth noting that the amounts claimed during the previous administration, that the SNP keep attacking for their performance on the roads, is much less than when they were in power between 2008 and 2012.

“However the main issue is that it’s actually far too hard to make a successful claim as you can only get a payout if the pothole had already been reported and a lot of damage is not caused by one hole but the general poor surface. If there were more claims and money paid I suspect we may see this issue higher up the list of priorities.”

Trossachs and Teith SNP councillor, Evelyn Tweed responded: “We have a real mess to clean up in terms of our roads.

“When the SNP became a minority administration in 2008, Stirling’s roads were the second worst in Scotland. That was a lot of potholes to fill.

“The SNP administration then invested heavily in fixing these roads and improved them dramatically. However, for the five years that the Tories were in charge of local finances in Stirling, from 2012 until 2017, that funding was severely cut and Stirling Council roads were cast back to seventh worst in Scotland, according to Audit Scotland.

“Now, the SNP Scottish Government and the SNP partnership administration on Stirling Council are investing heavily to get our roads back up to standard. This year alone has seen a £2 million increase on what the Tories committed last year.

“It will take some time to fix all the of damage that has been done, but residents across all communities are crying out for more investment in road maintenance and this administration is delivering.”

In February, the Observer reported how drivers said they were having to fork out hundreds of pounds to repair wheels, tyres and other components damaged after their cars hit cracks or holes.

Between February 1 2017 and February 1 this year, the council received 46 claims for damage caused to vehicles by potholes.

Anyone who spots a dangerous pothole that has caused damage or injury is urged to report it to Stirling Council by calling 01786 404040.